Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of death worldwide and create a substantial financial burden. Emerging studies have begun to focus on epigenetic targets and re-establishing healthy gut microbes as therapeutic options for the treatment and prevention of CVD. Phytochemicals, commonly found in fruits and vegetables, have been shown to exert a protective effect against CVD, though their mechanisms of action remain incompletely understood. Of interest, phytochemicals such as curcumin, resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) have been shown to regulate both histone acetylation and microbiome re-composition. The purpose of this review is to highlight the microbiome–epigenome axis as a therapeutic target for food bioactives in the prevention and/or treatment of CVD. Specifically, we will discuss studies that highlight how the three phytochemicals above alter histone acetylation leading to global changes in gene expression and CVD protection. Then, we will expand upon these phytochemicals to discuss the impact of phytochemical–microbiome–histone acetylation interaction in CVD.
Highlights
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which include heart attack, atherosclerosis, hypertension, stroke and heart failure, remain a leading public health concern
We discussed the role of curcumin, resveratrol and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in the regulation of histone acetylation and the microbiome as potential therapeutic targets for CVD (Figure 1)
While many recent studies have shown that phytochemicals can attenuate or protect against CVD via histone deacetylase (HDAC)/histone acetylation regulation, only a few studies have recently begun examining the impact for phytochemicals on gut microbial health and CVD
Summary
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which include heart attack, atherosclerosis, hypertension, stroke and heart failure, remain a leading public health concern. Microbial densities in the colon can reach 1011 colony-forming units per gram of content (cfu/g) [8] These observations demonstrate that the gut microbiome is considerably larger than the genome of its host, and not surprisingly, has been heavily investigated for its role in regulating health and disease. Similar to changes in histone acetylation, the gut microbiome has been suggested to play a key role in cardiovascular health and disease Consistent with this postulate, changes in microbial communities have been linked to CVD-related events and risks [9], including atrial fibrillation [10], heart failure [11] and elevated blood lipids and cholesterol [12,13]. We will discuss the role of three phytochemicals in the regulation of histone acetylation and CVD
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